The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-02-04

I could bear l believed that nv
health and strength would give way il
l protracted the ships Journey to the
spot where the men would leave her.
even for twenty-.our hours longer than
Friday.
The task before me, then, was to pre-
pare for the final struggle. to thorough
ly mature nv plans. to utilize the con-
troll still had over the ship to the ut
most advantage. and to put into shape
all plausible objections and hints !
could think upon. which would be help
full to me if adopted by the crew.
What l needed most was more fire.
| arms. The revolver I carried had five
chambers. and it was rare good fortune
i! that had got hold of it In the hope
that Duckling may have had a weapon
| l had searched his cabin, but l found
| that the carpenter had been ahead of
me and had thoroughly overbauled his
effects l could only hope then that
Duckling did not have q revolver since
If he did Stevens was pretty sure to
have secured it.
The men during the time now pass
ing were enjoying themselves eating
poultry and roast pork and drinking
freely of the rum on board Believing
they were becoming drunk knocked
at Miss Robertson's door to tell her on
no account to show herself on deck.
found her calm and brave as ever hut
was grieved to see that there was no
improvement in her fathers mental
condition and that his mind appeared
to be hopelessly bewildered.
At her request I explained as fully
as possible the condition of affairs and
what l anticipated might happen. l
said:
ION Friday afternoon shall tell She
carpenter that the ship is fifty or sixty
miles of the coast of Florida. IL the
night is ca!m-and l pray that it may
be-the ship will be hove TO. that Is.
rendered stationary on the water; the
long-boat will be slung over the side.
and the Quarter-boat lowered. All this
is certain to happen. But now come
my doubts VIII the crew remain on
board until the man tn " send into the
hold TO scuttle the vessel rejoins them?
or will they get into the boats and wait
for him alongside? If they take to
the boats and wait for the man.
the ship is ours. If they remain
on board then our preservation will
depend upon the bosom.
How"
HE will either kill the man who
gets into the hold. or knock him in
sensible. He will then have to act as
though he Were the man he has knocked
on the head.
II see"
If they call to him, he will have to
answer them without showing himself.
Perhaps he will call to them. They
will answer him. They will recessari-
" muffle their voices. that We who are
aft may not suspect what they are
about In that case the bosom may
counterfeit the voice of the man lie
has Knocked on the head success
fully"
But what will he tell thems''
why, that his job is nearly finished.
and that they had best take to the
boats and hold off for him, as he is
scuttlinc her in half dozen places.
and the people aft will find her sinking
and make rush to the boats if they
are not kept away. He will tell them
that when he has done scuttling her he
will run up and jump overheard and
swim to them. This, if done cleverly.
NAV decide the men to shove Oft. We
shall see"
1T is a clever scheme" she an
swered, musingly. The boatswain's
life depends upon his success. and be-
lieve he will succeed in dipping them. "
What can be done he will DO. am
sure l said. not choosing to admit
that had not her confidence in the
stratagem. because l feared that the
more the bcatswain should endeavor
to disguise HIS voice. the greater would
be the risk of its being recognized.
but let me tel YOU that this is the
worst view of the case. 1t is quite
probable that the men will take to the
boats and wait for their mate to finish
in the hold. not only because it will
save time. but because they will mag
inc it an etfectual way of compelling
us to remain on the vessel
What villains! And if they take to
the boats?"
Htu slidil NSItt NOu-
"What can do?''
I've shall see. There still remains
a third chance. The carpenter is. or
have read his character upside down. a
born murderer. 1t is possible that this
villain may design to leave the man
whom he sends into the hold to sink
with the ship. He has not above half
a dozen chums. confidential friends,
among the crew. and it will be his and
their policy to rid themselves of the
others rs best they can. so as to dim
Irish the number of witnesses against
them. II, therefore, they contemplate
this. they will leave the ship while they
suppose the net of scuttling to be act
ually proceeding. Now, among the
many schemes which have entered my
mind, there was one I should have put
in practice had not feared to commit
any action which might in the small
est degree imperil your safety. This
scheme was to cautiously sound the
minds of the men who were not in the
carpenters intimate confidence; ascer-
tain how far they relish the notion Of
quitting the ship for shore that might
prove iuhospitAbie, or on which their
boats might be wrecked and themselves
drowned; and discover. by what
shrewdness l am master of, how many
l might get to come over to my SIDE if
the boatswain and myself turned upon
Stevens and killed him. shot down
johnson. and fell. armed with nv re-
volver and couple of Delaying pins,
upon Cornish and Fish = these three
men composing Stevens cabinet. l
say that this was quite practicable. and
no very great courage required to exc
cute it. as we should have killed or
S&nnnod fhosn mar, EaSorn thor u-nalH